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It is said that Torajans are people who “live to die”. For this Indonesian ethnic group, funerals are such extravagant events that they sometimes attract tourists. Families can postpone burials years (and the deceased are considered sick and hosted at home until the funeral) until the family can raise enough money and gather as many relatives as possible. And then it’s a jubilant multiday social event with a parade, dances and animal sacrifices. Agung Parameswara photographed these funerary practices when he traveled to South Sulawesi province, where the Torajans live. But often, their funeral isn’t the last time the dead are seen. In August, crypts are opened, coffins are slid back out and bodies delicately unsheathed. This tender ritual is known as Ma’Nene, which is customarily performed every few years. (Photo by Agung Parameswara/The Washington Post)

It is said that Torajans are people who “live to die”. For this Indonesian ethnic group, funerals are such extravagant events that they sometimes attract tourists. Families can postpone burials years (and the deceased are considered sick and hosted at home until the funeral) until the family can raise enough money and gather as many relatives as possible. And then it’s a jubilant multiday social event with a parade, dances and animal sacrifices. Agung Parameswara photographed these funerary practices when he traveled to South Sulawesi province, where the Torajans live. (Photo by Agung Parameswara/The Washington Post)
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06 Oct 2016 09:15:00
A partially burned American flag lies on the street near the spot where Michael Brown was killed before an event to mark the one year anniversary of his killing in Ferguson, Missouri August 9, 2015. (Photo by Rick Wilking/Reuters)

A partially burned American flag lies on the street near the spot where Michael Brown was killed before an event to mark the one year anniversary of his killing in Ferguson, Missouri August 9, 2015. (Photo by Rick Wilking/Reuters)
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10 Aug 2015 08:38:00
A police officer detains a woman on suspicion of collaborating with the 18th street gang during a "Safe House" operation at the Concepcion neighbourhood in San Salvador, July 2, 2015. Salvadoran police make “Safe House” operations at dangerous neighbourhoods of the capital to prevent murders, according to local media. (Photo by Jose Cabezas/Reuters)

A police officer detains a woman on suspicion of collaborating with the 18th street gang during a "Safe House" operation at the Concepcion neighbourhood in San Salvador, July 2, 2015. Salvadoran police make “Safe House” operations at dangerous neighbourhoods of the capital to prevent murders, according to local media. (Photo by Jose Cabezas/Reuters)
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23 Jan 2016 13:00:00
A Vietnamese woman collects dried incense sticks at a courtyard in Quang Phu Cau village on the outskirts of Hanoi on January 9, 2020 ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations, referred to in Vietnam as Tet. (Photo by Manan Vatsyayana/AFP Photo)

A Vietnamese woman collects dried incense sticks at a courtyard in Quang Phu Cau village on the outskirts of Hanoi on January 9, 2020 ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations, referred to in Vietnam as Tet. (Photo by Manan Vatsyayana/AFP Photo)
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12 Feb 2020 00:03:00
A Palestinian man demonstrates his parkour skills on a beach as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions ease in Gaza City on July 10, 2020. (Photo by Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

A Palestinian man demonstrates his parkour skills on a beach as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions ease in Gaza City on July 10, 2020. (Photo by Mohammed Salem/Reuters)
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20 Jul 2020 00:03:00
Eco-Friendly Coffins

Claire and Rupert Callender of the Green Funeral Company pose for a photograph with a environmentally friendly coffin in woodland close to their office at Dartington Hall Estate on February 4, 2011 near Torquay, England. The Devon-based company operates as funeral directors and undertakers throughout the South West, offers an ecological alternative to traditional funerals, with coffins made from ecologically friendly materials such as wicker and bamboo, and can arrange funerals that encompass diverse religious and spiritual beliefs everything from a Catholic Requiem Mass, to a Pagan ritual at a stone circle on Bodmin Moor. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
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16 Aug 2011 11:04:00
In this picture taken on September 24, 2016, relatives grieve their lost one, an alleged drug user/dealer gunned down by unidentified gunmen in Manila. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte defended his threat to kill criminals as “perfect” and vowed no let-up in his war on crime, as the death toll surged past 3,700. (Photo by Noel Celis/AFP Photo)

In this picture taken on September 24, 2016, relatives grieve their lost one, an alleged drug user/dealer gunned down by unidentified gunmen in Manila. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte defended his threat to kill criminals as “perfect” and vowed no let-up in his war on crime, as the death toll surged past 3,700. (Photo by Noel Celis/AFP Photo)
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04 Jan 2017 08:00:00
Takahiro Shito, 47, and his wife Sayomi Shito, 46, pray with their children Tomoka, 14, and Kenya 16, and their great uncle Akinori Takahashi, 76, as they pay respects to their daughter Chisato,12, buried in a nearby cemetery, victim of the Okowa Elementary School tragedy, who was killed during last year's tsunami on March 11, 2012 near Ishinomaki, Japan

Takahiro Shito, 47, and his wife Sayomi Shito, 46, pray with their children Tomoka, 14, and Kenya 16, and their great uncle Akinori Takahashi, 76, as they pay respects to their daughter Chisato,12, buried in a nearby cemetery, victim of the Okowa Elementary School tragedy, who was killed during last year's tsunami on March 11, 2012 near Ishinomaki, Japan. Teachers at the school weren't trained for tsunami evacuation and didn't to lead the children up the snow covered mountain behind the school after the tsunami warning was sounded. Out of 108 students at the school, 74 died and four remain missing; 10 of the school's 13 teachers were also killed. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak /Getty Images)
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11 Mar 2012 09:47:00